Session 1: Discover MachineLogic

Take a tour of Vention's code-free programming tool, MachineLogic. You'll learn how to configure your robot, create a visual sequence and build a custom user interface in our UI Builder.

We are going to use Vention's publicly available “Pick and place” design with a belt conveyor to demonstrate the 3 steps needed to program your custom application.

If you’d like to follow along with today’s video, open this public design.

Before we get started, make sure you have a MachineMotion controller, an actuator and end-stop sensors in your design before you navigate to the MachineLogic tab. Use our configuration assistant to quickly assemble your actuators.

Here are the 3 steps to program your machine:

- STEP 1: Configure your machine

- STEP 2: Create a visual sequence

- STEP 3: Create a UI using UI Builder

STEP 1: Configure your machine (1:00)

- We will start off by configuring the actuators we would like to move. Start by clicking "add actuator" at the bottom left corner of your screen. You will then be prompted to select the actuator you would like to configure from the dropdown menu.

- All associated automated components will be auto-configured.

- If there is a sensor placement, navigate through the sensor drop down list and select the sensor's unique ID.

- You may find the unique ID from clicking the sensor in the CAD.

- You may also configure pneumatics, as well as input and output sensors. In this example, we will be configuring an input thru-beam sensor.

STEP 2: Create a visual sequence, Part 1: Create your application (1:46)

- Build your MachineLogic application using a combination of sequences and commands. To begin, click "add application" to start creating a program.

- MachineLogic will simulate the “Main sequence”, therefore building your child sequences with various motion commands. We recommend executing those child sequences in the “Main sequence” as good practice to organize your program.

- For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ve broken down the application to have three child sequences to build a pick and place application; Let's start building our first child sequence, called our "homing sequence".

- Note that it’s always best practice to home each actuator before doing any other command. Click “Add command” to create a motion command.

- The “Actuator” drop down menu selects the actuator you would like to move. Click on the “Motion” drop down menu, which filters out all the possible motion commands for the selected actuator.

- Select the type of motion command you would like to use (in this case, move to home). We'll repeat the same motion for the x-axis.

- Next, let's build our conveyor child sequence. In this sequence, we would like to move the conveyor continuously until a box reaches the thru beam sensor. The conveyor would then stop for 5000 ms.

- Click on the “add motion” command drop down menu and select “Start continuous move”. Then click on the "add wait digital input" command to tell the conveyor to keep moving until the thru beam sensor's state is level 1. Stop the conveyor for 5000 ms.

- For the pick and drop sequence, we'll use the "move to position" commands for our linear actuators.

- We can move the actuator to the position you would like it to move to, then once the desired position is reached, we'll click "teach position" to confirm.

- Another option would be to manually input the position value you would like. We’ll speed through this and show you how the rest of the sequences are built.

- As mentioned before, once we're finished with all our child sequences, we'll execute them through the main sequence.

STEP 2: Create a visual sequence, Part 2: Simulate (5:03)

- The active sequence will be highlighted in green as it is executed in the tree view, located on the left panel.

STEP 3: Create a UI using UI Builder (5:23)

- Now that you have built your ML program, we can create an operator interface for that application.

- Click and drag widgets into your UI Builder grid to configure push buttons, variable displays, variable inputs, digital displays, information console and text.

- We'll first edit our visual sequence to trigger only the conveyor child sequence when a button in the UI builder is pressed. To do so, we'll add a "wait for event" command at the very top of the child sequence.

- To generate a message to the UI builder, click "Add command" and "Add message" to let the operator know when the pick and drop child sequence is completed.

- Now, lets build our operator UI.

- You could have multiple tabs to organize and configure your widgets.

- Drag and drop the elements below into the grid. A configure panel will pop-up for elements that require configuration.

- For the button, the topic and message name should match the "Wait for event" topic and message names from the visual sequence you would like to refer to. The possible topic and message options should auto-dropdown.

- To see the state of our thru-beam sensor, drag and drop the "digital input diplay" element and link the thru beam sensor to the element.

- Lets finish up with adding a label to the operator.

- Once you're happy with your program and operator interface, you may simulate in "play mode" or download and upload it onto your MachineController to deploy!

Happy programming!